Breadcrumb

There is little doubt about it, the fifth-generation cellular network frequency (5G) is in our near future. The recent ruckus surrounding the United States (US) and China-based multinational company Huawei should only serve to remind us of how inevitable that fact really is.While the reception for 5G has largely been welcoming, the technology does not come without its own set of complications.

Southeast Asia’s rapid urbanisation and increasing affluence has led to concerns about the growth of consumerism and its impact on sustainability. Consumerism is the constant purchasing of goods and services not termed as needs such as food, water, clothing and shelter and follows changing trends and fashion.

Almost four million new jobs, rising wages and eight interest-rate cuts in Indonesia should have been enough to spur consumers into action in the world’s fourth most populous nation.Instead, an increasing number of people are keeping a tight grip on their purse strings and putting their money in the bank, leaving policy makers and economists perplexed.